One run can change your day, many runs can change your life
The objective of creating The Rajkot Runners Group is to create a platform where people come together to exchange ideas, build relationships, and foster collaboration in relation to running and fitness. The goal is to create an environment that encourages connection,engagement, and support for all members. Additionally, the aim is to create an atmosphere in which members can learn from one another, grow and experience personal development,and ultimately contribute to the success of the community as a whole.
I don???t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.
The journey of running started when I was in my school days. I still holdtherecordfor800mtrs (2mins & 10sec)& 1500mtrs (4min & 39secs) at The RajKumar College, Rajkot. When I was in my first year of college I took part in the inaugural Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon(42.95kms) in 2004. During my runs we had a community of runners who used to practice at Girgaon Chowpaty & Peddar Road where Anil Ambani was the main attraction during the runs & again when I was in Kolkata we had a running community of expatriates and an Indian who used to meet together for runs during my stay in Kolkata from 2012-14. It was after coming back from Kolkata, I realized that we need to have a running tribe for Rajkot. It was on 4th November, 2015 Rajkot Runners got launched. That???s when I used to run at Race Course and kept meeting runners who used to run in isolation and also met a group from Tea Post Runners led by Dr Jayesh Thakkar who used to run as a group. I met few individual runners like Dr Ajmera, Dr Ajitsinh Vadher, Dipenbhai Patel, to name a few, who had shown inclination to running and how we could increase the members to make it a large community of runners. We decided not to charge members any fee for the first year and thereafter we decided a registration fees of ???500 and ???1,500 as annual membership fees. We had 70+ members in our very first year. We had some amazing runners and sports enthusiasts who had come to Rajkot to inspire our runners such as Daniel Vaz, Nike Head Coach Nike+Run Club, Nike???s Largest Running Community, Dr. Rajat Chauhan ??? Ex Adidas India Running Consultant & Coach.
The miracle isn???t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.
Today we are a community of 200+ enthusiast individuals that participate at various levels; there are newcomers, veterans and regular joggers, competitive runners or those just out
for leisure. Our runners have taken active part in major marathons in India and abroad and one of our members, Chaganlal, has qualified for the Boston Marathon. Currently, Rajkot Runners is led by Dr Ajitsinh Vadher along with Dr Devendra Rakholia and is doing great work by bringing all runners together. They are offering their time, energy and experience to build up Rajkot Runners into a cohesive established group.
Don???t ask me why I run, ask yourself why you don???t
In conclusion, running can improve your physical and mental health, reduce stress, and help you reach your fitness goals. Join the Band! Keep Running! Stay Fit!
Run often, run long, but never outrun your joy of running
Rahul Dangar